The Fifth Letter
by Ali Maximum
Summary: The first thing he saw was the envelope sitting on his bed. It was a dark blue, a very familiar color. The thing he missed was the number five on the back of it... "I've got to go save the world. Again."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Alex Rider is not mine. Nor is Doctor Who.**

The day had been a fairly normal one. Well, near the beginning, of course. Alex Rider, now nearing 21 years of age, had left college for the weekend. He and Sabina were heading back to the house they called home, to celebrate Edward Pleasure's birthday. Sabina had picked him up at his dorm and, after somehow managing to fit his duffel bag in between all of hers, they were off.

The top of the convertible was down, the wind streaming past them. Sabina's dark brown hair flew in the wind behind her as her foot pressed the gas pedal down farther and farther. She certainly liked speed.

"So, how's college been treating you, Alex?" she called over the sound of the roaring wind.

"Great, Sab," he said back, talking loudly as well.

"And the girlfriend? What was her name again?"

"Nikki. She's great. And what boyfriend are you on again?" Alex shot her a look.

Sabina flashed a smile at him. "It's Damian this week!" They were perfectly at ease talking about each others' girlfriends and boyfriends. Because of living together for almost six years, they realized they weren't quite cut out for each other. But it was no loss, either. They liked being brother and sister.

"Good God! Why do all of them sound like they're gay?" asked Alex, grinning.

"Because half of them have turned out to be!" she laughed. As they turned down the Pleasure's street, Sabina pointed with a hand. "Look! Mum and Dad are out waiting for us!"

Sure enough, as Alex looked, he could see Edward and Liz Pleasure standing out on the front lawn, waving with cheesy grins on their faces. The car pulled up into the driveway and the two got out. Much hugging was done, followed by "Hello"s and "How've you been?"s.

"Well, come on, then," said Edward. "Grab your bags and let's get inside."

"Sab's going to need help," Alex joked. "She brought enough stuff to provide for a small army."

Sabina hit him in the arm lightly. "Good thing I've got someone who'll help me carry it all in."

"Who, me?" asked Alex. When she nodded, he shrugged. "Sorry, Sab, but my hands are full." Quickly, he grabbed his bag and dashed for the house.

"Alex Rider! You get back here!" cried Sabina.

He ignored her and went into the house, followed closely by Liz. "Why don't you go put your stuff in your room, Alex? Lunch will be ready in a few minutes, so don't take too long," the woman said. Alex nodded and began to leave the room, when Liz said something else to him. "Oh, and there was a letter for you in the mail today. Don't know how they knew you'd be here, but it's on your bed, sweetie."

"Thanks, Liz." With that, he took the stairs two at a time, to the second story. Down the hallway to the second door on his left. That was Alex's room, as it had been ever since he'd moved here when he was fifteen. Not much had changed about the house. But a lot had certainly changed about him. Almost unconsciously, Alex's hand moved up to touch the key that hang on a necklace around his neck. _You'll need this, in the future_, he'd been told. The thing had hung around his neck ever since.

He pushed open the door and the first thing he saw was the envelope sitting on his bed. It was a dark blue, a very familiar color. _That's a bit odd_, he thought. He let his duffel bag fall to the ground beside the door as he walked over to his bed. Sitting down on it, Alex picked up the letter. _Here goes nothing... _he thought as his finger tore through the glue holding the envelope shut.

Fifteen minutes later, Sabina came stomping up the stairs. "Alex? Mum told me to come find you, see what was taking you so long..." She turned into his room to find him sitting on his bed, rereading the letter for what would be the seventh time.

"It's got to be a joke..." he mumbled to himself. "But it's not."

"Alex?" asked Sabina.

His head snapped up. "I've got to go."

"What?" she said. "But we just got here!"

Alex stood up, stashing the letter into his back pocket. "I'm sorry, Sab, I really am. But this is important." He moved toward the door and picked up his duffel bag. Shouldering it, he walked past her, out into the hall.

"Alex! What is going on?" she demanded.

He turned to her, a faint smile on his face. "I've got to go save the world. Again. Tell Edward I'm sorry for missing his birthday, will you?" With that, he was gone. In a few seconds, Sabina could hear the garage door opening and the sound of a motorcycle starting up. Then, it faded into the distance, as did its rider. Sabina looked into Alex's room, where she saw the blue envelope. It had fallen to the ground as Alex had stood up. Stepping inside, she picked it up. On the back was a number five.

_Odd,_ she thought.

… … … … … ARDW... … … … …

Alex couldn't stop thinking about the letter. It was practically burning a hole in his back pocket. Consciously now, he brought his hand up to the key around his neck. Yes, it was time to save the world again.

_I'm coming, Doctor._

**Finite.**

**Please, if you enjoyed, review and tell me what you liked. I'm not sure if I'll make this into a more-shot, or just leave it as this. It's a stand-alone for now, that's all I know. If I get good reviews, I might add more. Background information, present adventures, whatever.**

**Until next time.**

**~AM~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Read the A/N at the bottom for more information. **

**It is, with great joy and endless trepidation, that I have continued with this story. Here is Chapter Two. Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: The rights of both the Doctor or Alex do not belong to me. **

Three hours and two pit stops later, Alex found himself in a little abandoned town in the middle of nowhere. Slowly, he dismounted his motorcycle and took off his helmet. This couldn't be the right place… Could it? Running a hand through his hair, Alex pulled the letter out of his back pocket. His eyes scanned the paper and then checked the GPS he'd pulled up on his I-phone. Yes, these were the right coordinates.

So… Where was the Doctor?

Suddenly, as if on cue, there was a crash from the building to his left. In a flash, Alex had a gun in his hand, appearing from nowhere. More loud crashes made Alex step closer, made him slowly fall into a half-crouch. His senses were going into overdrive at the possibility of danger.

There was another crash, louder than the previous ones, and the door of the building flew open. Smoke poured out with a flashing light, making the entire scene that more eerie. And that was when a singular figure came out of the smoke. It paused in the doorway, and Alex was unable to tell what it was. He had the gun raised at the prone figure, unsure if it would end up to be friend or foe. But then the figure stepped out into the sunlight, coughing and trying to wave the smoke away.

Alex smiled and lowered his gun. "Hello, Doctor."

The man strode out into the street. "Alex!" he cried cheerfully, moving forward as if to hug him. However, he froze halfway to him. "Oh. You brought a gun. I don't particularly like guns. Well, actually, I don't like any weapons in general."

Alex rolled his eyes at the Doctor's ramblings on weapons; he'd heard them all before. "All right, all right, I'm putting it away." The twenty-year-old did as he said he would, putting the handgun back into its shoulder holster under his jacket. After that was done, he jerked his head towards the building the Doctor had just exited. "What happened there?"

The Doctor looked over his shoulder, then looked back at Alex. "Ah, yes, well, I might've miscalculated the coordinates a bit." Another loud crashing noise came from behind him and he flinched, whirling around.

Upon hearing that, Alex couldn't help but laugh. "Let me get this straight. You crash-landed the TARDIS inside a building?"

"It wasn't my fault!" the other man cried.

"Sure... Blame the TARDIS. Couldn't be your fault, no." As soon as the Doctor opened his mouth to respond, Alex cut him off with, "So, what'd you send the letter for?" He crossed his arms and leaned against his motorcycle, waiting for the other's response. There would be no beating around the bush. No, the Doctor would simply have to explain why he'd contacted Alex after five months of silence.

The Doctor opened his arms wide and smiled that – Alex would call it clever – smile of his. "Can't I just have wanted to see you?"

"You would've just showed up with the TARDIS if you'd wanted to visit," Alex said. "This is something more."

With a sigh, the Doctor raised his hands and said, "You caught me. Ulterior motives and whatnot." He turned and began walking back towards the building from where he'd originally came from. In the doorway, he stopped and looked back at Alex. "Are you coming or what?"

The smile on Alex's face could not have been any larger as he ran to catch up with him.

.oOo.

It had been only a few months since Alex had been inside the TARDIS, and he missed every second of it. Already his fingers brushed along the console, feeling the familiar levers and knobs. He felt more at home here than he had ever felt since he'd left England.

The Doctor danced around the console now, flipping levers and plotting out a destination, and Alex moved out of his way. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"England, yesterday," said the Doctor, smiling, as he ducked underneath the console and pulled out a folder. From there, he pulled out another blue envelope. "The Pond's house."

"Pond? As in Amy and Rory?" Alex had been told all about the married couple that were taking a short break from traveling in the TARDIS.

"Yes. We have to drop off a letter. Or, rather," the Doctor paused and shot a glance towards him, "You do."

"Doctor– " began Alex, but the man flipped a lever and the TARDIS began to take off.

"Geronimo, Alex!"

.oOo.

Alex muttered obscenities to himself under his breath as he trudged toward the flat where Amy and Rory lived. It was only because the Doctor had promised to explain everything to him that he was doing this. In his hand was the blue envelope he was to deliver. Forcing a smile onto his face, he bounded up the front steps and rapped on the door twice. A few seconds later, a red-headed woman opened the door. Alex had to swallow hard; he had a brief flash of Jack before shoving the memories back down.

"This letter was in my mailbox," he said, ever so charming while lying through his teeth. "But it had your address on it, so I thought I'd return it."

As Alex held out the letter, the woman took it. Amy, presumably. Speaking almost absentmindedly, she said, "Thanks." She took the letter and he tilted his head in farewell before turning to leave. With his back turned, Alex heard her let out a breath as she examined the envelope. "Doctor," Amy whispered. Alex could only smile as he sauntered away.

Yeah, the Doctor often had that effect on people.

.oOo.

One hour later, Alex had managed: to sneak in and out of a futuristic prison, to face off with an angry old man equipped with a shotgun, and to talk a 1930s movie star into helping him. Collapsing back into the TARDIS, he shot a look at the Doctor. "Okay," he said. "I have delivered three letters, nearly gotten shot, and I'm pretty sure I have a date with Katharine Hepburn." He sunk into a seat lazily. "Would you care to explain now?"

The Doctor sighed. "Well, there's no point in putting this off any longer, is there?" He walked over and sat down besides Alex. Suddenly, he seemed older than he had ever appeared before. "I am 1103 years old now, as you know. I've seen a lot of things in my life. I've seen a lot of death. And now I know that it's time for my own."

Alex was confused. "So, you're just going to regenerate again?"

Sadly, the Doctor shook his head. "No. This time, there will be no regeneration. I will die. There will be no coming back."

The twenty-year-old shot to his feet. "What do you mean 'there will be no coming back'? You're the Doctor, you can't just die!" he shouted. Although he would never admit it, his yelling came more from fear than from any other emotion. There was silence as the Doctor just looked at him, sadness in his eyes. Alex ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm down, to be strong. "How do you know you're going to die? No one knows that."

"Someone told me. Someone who witnessed my death. And they won't be the only ones there, either. Those letters I had you deliver, well, they're invitations, of a sort. I wanted to say good-bye; I'll be meeting up with them all later," explained the Doctor.

Alex closed his eyes; he was trying to make sense of it all. "If you're going to be meeting up with them later, why am I here now?"

The Doctor let out a breath. "Well, that's where it gets complicated. You're here because you're going to play a very important role."

"In your death?"

"Sadly."

"I won't kill you!" Alex said, panicking a bit.

The Doctor shook his head again and met the other's eyes. "No, you won't. But you will have a main role."

Sensing it was a losing battle, the younger man sat down, putting his head in his hands. "What will I do, Doctor?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled.

The older man reached out and put his hand on Alex's shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before responding. "You're the one who'll tell me. You'll tell me everything: what I'll do, who I'll invite, what'll happen."

Looking up, Alex said, "So, I'm just going to tell you everything about your own death? Jesus Christ, that's..." He trailed off.

"Tough, I know," finished the Doctor. "But it won't be for a while."

"What?"

"There will be a specific time and place where you'll explain everything. After all, we still have an adventure or two left before then."

Alex looked helpless again. "But when will I know when to tell you?"

The Doctor paused, as if remembering. "When you, the girl, and I all meet up on a mission with the mega-computer."

"What?"

"You're asking a lot of questions today, aren't you?"

"That's because I'm pretty damned confused!" Alex said. "Who's the girl? What mega-computer? Doctor?"

But the Doctor had stood up. The moment of sadness was already gone. The Timelord had managed to get over his death, Alex could see. So, it was time for Alex to do the same. He took a deep breath and tried to push a lid down on those feelings. Years of practice served him well here, and he managed to shake off the sorrow. He would make the most of the time left with the Doctor.

Speaking of, the Doctor was flipping levers and pulling knobs again. The TARDIS made her noise, getting ready for take off. Alex braced himself against the console.

"Where are we going now, Doctor?" he yelled over the whirring of the spaceship.

"Middle of nowhere! I've got a meeting to attend!"

.oOo.

They ended up out in the desert, next to a road. There was an old-fashioned car sitting alongside the road, but that was the only thing for miles. Alex had poked his head out to see where they were, but as he saw, it was nothing remarkable. "Um, Doctor?" When he turned around, he saw the man rifling around in a storage compartment.

"A-ha!" cried the Doctor, pulling out something triumphantly. It was a cowboy hat, which he promptly stuck on his head. "And now I fit in!" Alex tried to contain his laughter at the sight of the man in a suit, a bow tie, and now a Stetson. To each their own, he supposed. As the Doctor approached the door to the TARDIS, Alex stepped back to let him through before following him out into the baking heat of the desert.

Suddenly, the Doctor turned to face Alex. "This is the end of our journey today. It will be the last time I see you, but not the last time you'll see me."

Alex tried no longer to make any sense of what the man said. But, as he looked around, he said, "You aren't just going to leave me here, are you?"

"What? Oh, heavens, no. That," the Doctor said, jerking his finger back towards the car, "is my ride."

And once again, the twenty-year-old was confused. "Is there possibly an explanation here?"

The Doctor smiled. "Of course! I will be taking that car to meet with Amy, Rory, and River, while you take the TARDIS."

"Huh?" asked Alex, dumbstruck.

Reaching out with his left hand, the Doctor clapped his companion on the shoulder. "She's all yours now. Take care of her, please. She's a good girl." As Alex stood there, clearly unable to say anything, the Doctor began backing away after looking down at his watch. "Okay, we've got three minutes here. Don't forget, Alex: you, me, the girl, mega-computer." He turned to walk away, but stopped, as if remembering something. "Oh, and you need to go to one-oh-one west Franklin street and be there by six thirty-seven. Before, preferably, enough time to hide the TARDIS, you might not need it for a while."

"Doctor- " began Alex.

From down the road, dust began billowing up as a vehicle came towards them. A bus. "They're early!" cried the Doctor. "Don't know why I'm surprised, honestly. Go, Alex!"

Alex had no choice; he turned and walked back to the TARDIS. As he stood in the doorway, he saw the Doctor tip his hat towards him. "Geronimo, Doctor," he said, quietly before turning into the ship and shutting the door behind him.

**End of Chapter Two.**

**...**

**A/N**

**I have decided to make this into a multi-chapter story. And, even better, the plot bunny has bit, so it's all been plotted out.**

**I'm sorry if the characters were OOC. I'm sorry if it didn't quite make sense. I hope I'll be able to explain that all later. Please drop a line if you don't get something, I'll try to respond and/ or fix it.**

**Hell, who am I kidding? Drop a line, anyway. Love to hear from you!**


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